HBO's Game of Thrones Season 1

[tinytim]

Oh yes. That's really nice!

[moonflower]

Thanks for the link, Blue Jay.  That helps me get to know the cast better, since I am unfamiliar with some of them.

[Sable899]

Another favorable report (reposted from http://www.westeros.org/GoT/News/Entry/Entertainment_Weekly_on_Game_of_Thrones/:

December 31, 2009
Entertainment Weekly on Game of Thrones
In its latest issue, Entertainment Weekly makes a mention of HBO’s proposed Game of Thrones series in a column by Lynette Rice.  The article’s not up on the web, but the relevant excerpt has been provided by sharp-eyed reader AboutYeaHigh:

“... Meanwhile, HBO—which, like EW, is owned by Time Warner—is generating heat for a pilot it hasn’t even picked up yet: the network’s adaptation of the fantasy book A Game of Thrones, starring Sean Bean and Lena Headey. Filmed entirely on location in Ireland and Morocco, Thrones supposedly boasts a budget that rivals that of the famously lavish Rome, but HBO co-chairman Michael Lombardo is quick to point out that all the network’s shows have to meet high expectations—especially in light of stiff competition from the likes of Showtime and USA. “We are taking shots at shows that we wouldn’t have taken a shot at five years ago,” says Lombardo, who, with co-chairman Richard Plelper and entertainment president Sue Naegle, has developed an unprecedented number of pilots. “We opened our arms and invited people to come in and pitch things even if they didn’t think it was HBO. We stopped second-guessing ourselves.”

The suggestion that the budget rivals that of Rome—infamous for costing $100 million for its first season—is, suffice it to say, rather remarkable. It’s presented as a rumor, but for the most part expectations have been somewhat more down to earth. Could these rumors be true? It’ll be interesting to see what develops over time. More sobering, however, is the reminder that the series still has hurdles to pass—including a fairly full development slate at HBO which will leave executives making hard decisions about what to go forward with. The silver lining? Last we heard, insiders said that HBO was fairly sure to order a season, provided the executive producers Benioff and Weiss avoided any major missteps in producing the pilot.

[moonflower]

This link contains much of the same text, but has some different commentary at the end, relating to the budget comparisons with Rome.

http://winter-is-coming.blogspot.com/2009/12/entertainment-weekly-mentions-thrones.html

[lighty]

"any major missteps in producing the pilot" . . . goodness, me.  What might that include? 

[tinytim]

"any major missteps in producing the pilot" . . . goodness, me.  What might that include? 

Same thought here!

[patch]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/news/a196581/hbos-game-of-thrones-nears-pickup.html 




http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/01/hbo-games-of-thrones-dailies-look-fantastic.html

[moonflower]

That sounds like good news!

[lighty]

Sounds like great news . . . I would, however, be interested in seeing this color 'pallet' that each house has apparently been given.  Is it a standard wooden pallet or more of a cargo pallet?  Did they paint the pallets in the colors of each house or do they just load large tubs of the colors on the pallets and dunk the individual actors costumes in them before they film?

Also, like in the books, each family in the story will have its own color pallet for clothing and armor.

Spellcheck should never be used by people who don't know the definition of homophone.

I have a spelling checker,
It came with my PC;
It plainly marks four my revue
Mistakes I cannot sea.
I’ve run this poem threw it,
I’m sure you’re please too no,
It’s letter perfect in it’s weight,
My checker tolled me sew.
 :bang:

[Sable899]

Its beginning to sound like Sean will be extraordinarily busy this whole year.  Thrones will take quite a few months to get the principle photography in the can and then if, note the If, Clean Skin and Age of Heroes happens, he'll barely have any time to himself.

[patch]

He likes working doesn't he? And its very good for us fans.Lots to look forward to!

[patch]

There are always two sides of looking at something.   



http://io9.com/5448686/forget-about-fantasy-in-hbos-game-of-thrones-tv-show

[Sylvene]

Great.  Something new to read on a boring Friday.

[Blue Jay]

I have a spelling checker,
It came with my PC;
It plainly marks four my revue
Mistakes I cannot sea.
I’ve run this poem threw it,
I’m sure you’re please too no,
It’s letter perfect in it’s weight,
My checker tolled me sew.
 :bang:

Ooo, Lighty, I feel right at home now. That's exactly how my pupils write.



PS. And it's NOT what I teach them .....

[Sylvene]

So I went to http://winter-is-coming.blogspot.com/  because I haven't read it for a while... and there was a link to an ad published about the husky pups that were used as Direwolves...  http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/dogs/1025104

featuring the famous actor SEAN BEAN aka the hobbit from Lord Of The Rings

SB as a furryfoot.  ROFL.  ROFL..  ROFL...

[shalgerson]

Good one, Lighty!!!!!!  

[shalgerson]

You, tooooooo, Syl !!!!!!!!! 

[Sable899]

Belfast extras agency prepping for more Thrones:

It seems that the extras agency that supplied the extras for the Game of Thrones pilot (and will likely do the same for the full series) is counting on a series pickup. Rimshot, who was an extra in the pilot, recently re-registered with the agency and said the questions they asked on this year’s registration form were quite different from years past.

~Rimshot, ASOIAF forums member and GOT pilot extra:   I’ve re-registered for Extras NI for another year. I noticed the application form is slightly different this year. Normally it asks various general questions about your experiences (acting/sports/hobbies) and they use this to group people into skill sets in case a film needs a certain type. This year however there were more questions about horse-riding; combat training & experience in historical re-enactments etc. It seems that they are getting ready for potentially lots of work on GOT!

Winter Is Coming: Just another sign pointing to a series pick up. It does make me wonder though if HBO has already informed certain folks that the series is going to get picked up but they are just waiting to make the official announcement. Probably not. Probably just Extras NI doing the same thing we are all doing and assuming, based on what they’ve heard, that the show will be picked up and wanting to be prepared. Either way, this is a good sign.

[Sable899]

Merchandise info, from the mouth of GRRM himself:

Talking about the Valyrian Steel swords available:

Unfortunately, the HBO swords will use different designs. The show has its own armorers, who will do their own original designs on the weapons and armor as seen in the series.

As to why you might want to buy these... well, for the same reason you might want to buy a Valyrian resin of Ned that does not look like Sean Bean, or a Dark Sword mini of Jon Snow that does not look like Kit Harington. Do you want a keepsake of the books, or of the TV show? If the show goes forward, you will have your choice.

Also, in the specific case of these swords, I retained the right to license out high-quality steel replica swords, and that license is held by Valyrian Steel. HBO has the right to license inexpensive toy replica swords. So if you'd prefer something made of plastic that you can pick up at Wal-Mart, that may indeed be available at a later date... and will look just like the weapons in the series.

HBO also has exclusive rights to do lunchboxes, key rings, and bobblehead dolls, among other things. It was a VERY long and complicated negotiation.

Bobblehead Ned Stark modelled after Sean?  HELL YEAH!

[Sylvene]

ROFL... ROFL... ROFL... Weren't there Bobble-head Boromirs around somewhere too?